


Fragile

by SunnyInOregon



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, F/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-06-15 19:25:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15419913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyInOregon/pseuds/SunnyInOregon
Summary: “He’s not dying on my watch!” Dave is mad at Penelope. Penelope is mad at Dave. Dave gets attacked by an unsub. Will he survive for them to work it out?





	Fragile

Dave stood near Hotch and tried to pay attention to what the Unit Chief was saying but his attention kept straying to the blonde haired woman across the room. He watched as she laughed and laid a hand on the arm of the man she was talking to. Dave took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was a federal officer and it would be frowned upon if he beat the man up. He opted for the patented Rossi glare instead.

 

“Dave!” Hotch said sharply. “Are you paying attention?”

 

“Oh yeah,” Dave grumbled his eyes never leaving the pair across the room. His view was suddenly blocked by a pissed off looking Unit Chief.

 

“To me?” the younger man asked.

 

Dave swallowed and rocked on his heels. “I am now.”

 

Hotch stayed in place and glared at his friend. “I need your head in this, Dave.”  
  
“It is,” Dave replied quickly.

 

Hotch glanced over his shoulder at the two people Dave had been watching. “Really? What did I say I wanted you to do?”

 

Dave sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Go with Morgan and check the wooded area around the cabin,” Dave recited.

 

Hotch’s face relaxed a little and he allowed a small smile. “Good. I don’t know what is going on with you two but you need to leave it in DC next time. You guys haven’t said two words to each other since we left home and I know she’s staying in JJ’s room. Do you need to talk about it?”

 

“No,” Dave said shaking his head. “We’ll be fine. It will just take a little time.”

 

Hotch stared at his friend for a few more minutes before nodding and stepping away. “You and Morgan should get going,” he suggested. “I don’t want you out there when it gets dark. And take one of the deputies with you as well.”

 

Dave sighed again and looked over at Morgan. The dark skinned man nodded his head and followed Dave out of the building grabbing a Deputy along the way.

 

Dave stared out the side window of the SUV as Derek navigated the rocky terrain into the woods of the Rocky Mountains. The Deputy, a fresh faced kid by the name of Samuels, gave brief directions as they went along. Dave could feel Derek’s eyes on him every so often but he ignored the attempts at contact. The last thing he wanted was to discuss personal issues with his girlfriends’ best friend. Besides, Penelope had probably already told him her side of the story.

 

Besides, Hotch was right; he needed to get his head into this case. They were tracking a psychopath that was taking multiple victims and torturing them before killing them. It was like a scene out of that Saw movie where you had to kill the other person to live. This was one unsub you didn’t want to be daydreaming around.

 

They arrived at their destination and climbed out of the SUV. The air was cool, a soft breeze flowing through the pine trees. Dave stopped and took in a deep breath. He loved the woods, the smell of the trees, the creaking of tree limbs as they moved in the breeze. He wished he had some of these trees at his cabin in Little Creek.

 

He twisted his head and looked at Derek. “You think Pen would move out here with me?” he asked.

 

The younger man smiled as he walked closer. “Only if you can move this to DC.”

 

Dave nodded and frowned. He looked around again noting the dark cabin. “It still looks quiet here. I don’t know what Hotch hopes we’ll find.”

 

Derek shrugged as he moved towards the cabin. “A miracle?” he suggested.

 

Dave grinned and followed his teammate. They searched the cabin finding nothing changed since the last time they were there. They stepped back outside to where the Deputy was waiting.

 

“Any luck?” the kid asked.

 

Both profilers shook their heads.

 

“We should look around,” Derek suggested. “See if there is anything of interest outside the cabin.”

 

“Okay,” Dave agreed. “We need to hurry though; Dad doesn’t want us out after dark.”

 

Derek chuckled. “Fine. You go that way and I’ll head up this way. Meet you back here in fifteen minutes.”

 

Dave headed off through the brush keeping his eyes open as he wandered around. He stayed parallel to the road for about a hundred yards then turned left to loop around the back of the cabin. He had gone about fifty yards when he heard movement behind him.

 

He started to turn around when he felt a sharp pain in his left side. It was a deep burning sensation that got stronger as his attacker pulled back slightly and plunged the knife in again. Dave managed to jerk away pulling his weapon as he turned towards the man. He barely had time to move as the man swiped the knife again cutting across Dave’s right cheek. Dave pulled the trigger on his gun.

 

Blood splattered as the bullet ripped into the man’s leg. Dave stepped back to gain some space and tripped over a fallen tree limb. He could hear Derek’s shouts in the distance and knows that the younger man is on his way however, the man in front of him is getting closer. Dave raises his gun.

 

“FBI,” he warned. “Drop the knife and put your hands in the air.”

 

The man stopped and eyed Dave warily.

 

“Put it down,” Dave warned again. The man took another step closer and Dave squeezed off another round. The man stumbled backwards but didn’t fall. He turned and hobbled off into the woods. Dave attempted to stand but his knees are weak and he collapsed to the ground once again.

 

Dave could hear Derek call for him and he tried to respond.

 

“Der… Derek,” he called weakly.

 

Suddenly, Derek broke through the brush nearly stepping on the agent on the ground.  

 

“You alright man? What happened?”

 

“He went that way,” Dave breathed heavily as he pointed a bloody hand in the direction the man had run.

 

Derek looked at the hand in shock then started physically searching Dave looking for the wound. He finds it and covers the wound with his hand trying to stop the blood flow. He looked at the Deputy who had followed him through the forest. “We gotta get him to a hospital.”

 

“Nearest one is twenty miles away,” the man stated.

 

“Then you better drive fast,” Derek announced as he rose to his feet and started to help Dave up. The Deputy grabbed Dave’s other side and the two men carried the older man to the car. Derek found himself covered in his friend’s blood as they placed him in the back of the SUV. He slid in next to Dave and reached behind the seat for the first aid kit as the deputy closed the door and ran around to the driver’s seat.

 

Derek grabbed a handful of gauze and pressed it to Dave’s side. Dave moaned and rolled his head from side to side his breathing was deep and labored. The ride was bumpy due to the speed the Deputy was using but Derek wasn’t about to complain. He wrapped his left arm around Dave and held him close. He pulled his phone out and hit the speed dial.

 

Aaron answered on the first ring. “Derek, did you find something?”

 

“He’s up there, Hotch,” Derek said quickly. “He found us.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“He attacked Dave,” Derek said shortly. “Dave shot at him at least twice I don’t know if he hit him. We’re on our way to the hospital.”

 

“How bad is he,” Hotch asked his voice going soft with concern.

 

“He’s lost a lot of blood. I’m trying to slow it down but… it just keeps,” his voice trailed off.

 

“Stay strong, Derek. I’ll send the Sheriff and his men up to the mountain and we’ll meet you at the hospital.”

 

“As soon as we get the hospital I’ll have the Deputy go back, he knows where to look,” Derek said firmly catching the deputy’s eye in the rearview mirror.

 

“See you soon,” Hotch said and hung up the phone.

 

Derek snapped his phone shut and looked at it. The phone was smeared with blood as were his hands and everything else in the back of the SUV. He tucked the phone back into his pocket and focused on Dave.

 

“Dave,” he said loudly. “You still with me?”

 

“Yeah,” Dave groaned.

 

“We’re almost there,” Derek stated. He looked out the window and realized they were on the highway and over halfway back to town. “You do drive fast!”

 

The Deputy glanced up into the mirror. “He’s not dying on my watch,” he said tersely.

 

Derek nodded and swallowed hard. “Thanks.”

 

“Derek,” Dave said softly pulling the younger man’s attention back.

 

“Just relax man.”

 

“Tell Penny…”

 

“Shh. Whatever it is you can tell her later,” Derek said gently.

 

Dave shook his head. “Tell her the tickets are for her birthday,” he said with a groan.

 

“Tickets?” Derek questioned.

 

Dave nodded. “She’ll know,” he whispered. “I love her; only her.”

 

“She knows that man,” Derek said reassuringly. Dave’s body went limp in his arms as the older man fell into unconsciousness.

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

“Where is he,” Penelope demanded as she ran up to Derek. She takes in his bloody clothes and gasps. She started to collapse as Hotch grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to a nearby chair. The team gathered around in concern.

 

“Is some of that yours,” Hotch asked.

 

Derek looked down at his clothes; then slowly raised his head. “I wish it were,” he replied sadly. “I told you he was bleeding badly.”

 

Hotch nodded. Derek kneeled down in front of Penelope who is openly crying as she stared at him.

 

“They just took him into the back,” Derek told her. “He was unconscious but he’s still alive.”

 

She nodded at him.

 

“What happened?” Hotch asked. He didn’t attempt to shield Penelope knowing she wouldn’t allow it anyways.

 

Derek looked up at his boss and shook his head. “I don’t know for sure. We had spread out to cover more ground. I heard a shot come from Dave’s direction. I yelled for him and he didn’t respond. The deputy and I both hightailed it over to Dave then I heard a second shot. When I got there Dave was lying on the ground and the unsub was nowhere in sight. We should have stayed together.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Hotch said sharply. “Dave is a seasoned veteran; he knows what he is doing out there.”

 

“If we had stayed as a group…”

 

“The guy would have never shown himself,” Emily cut in.

 

“She right,” Hotch said. He looked at his team. They were all standing close together looking worried and protective at the same time. He turned to Derek. “You need to get cleaned up.”

 

“I’ll take you to the hotel,” Emily volunteered.

 

“Not yet,” Derek said firmly. “I want an update on Dave first.”

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

They sat in the waiting room for almost two hours before a surgeon came out to talk to them.

 

Hotch identified himself as the team leader. “Tell it to her,” he ordered with a nod to Garcia as the surgeon begins to give his report.

 

“It was touch and go for a while,” the Doctor stated. “But we got the bleeding stopped and repaired the damage. He’s going to be in ICU for the night and won’t be allowed any visitors until morning. You should all go home and get some sleep.”

 

“Thank you doctor,” Hotch said as Penelope slipped back over to her chair and sat down. The doctor walked back through the double doors leaving them alone.

 

“JJ, Reid and I will head back to the Sheriff’s office,” Hotch announced. He looked over at Derek whose shirt was now covered in dry blood that was giving off a funky odor. “I suggest you go and get changed.”

 

Derek nodded.

 

“I need my go bag and my computers,” Penelope stated from her spot across the room.

 

The team looked at her.

 

“Baby Girl…”

 

She looked up at him her eyes filled with fresh tears. “I’m not leaving here until he does,” she said defiantly.

 

Derek and Emily looked over at Hotch. He stared at Penelope for a moment then nodded.

 

“Alright Baby Girl,” Derek said softly. “We’ll be back soon.”

 

“After that I want you two to go back to the cabin,” Hotch ordered. “Derek, do you remember how to get there?”

 

“Yeah,” Derek breathed. “I remember.”

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Derek walked through the hospital carrying Garcia’s large red Hello Kitty go bag dressed in fresh clothes. He checked the waiting area where they had left Garcia but she was not there. A passing nurse informed him that she was now waiting near ICU on the fifth floor. He took the elevator after stopping by a snack machine and buying a few items for her.

 

“Hey Baby Girl,” he said quietly as he settled on the chair next to her.

 

“Hey,” she responded though he could tell her heart wasn’t in it.

 

“I brought you some juice and something to eat,” he told her as he sat the items on the table in front of them.

 

“Thanks,” she said automatically. She was staring out the window and had yet to look at him.

 

“He’s going to be okay,” Derek stated. “He’s strong.”

 

She barked a teary laugh. “No he’s not.”

 

She looked at him. Her face was wet from the tears, her nose red and swollen.

 

“I almost lost him,” she cried. “I haven’t talked to him in two days. I haven’t said I love you or good morning or anything!”

 

“He loves you too,” Derek half-smiled. “He told me to tell you that.”

 

“Did he?” she questioned.

 

He nodded. “He also said to tell you the tickets are for your birthday. He said you would know what he was talking about.”

 

She stared at him for a moment then began crying in earnest. She sobbed into her hands. Derek pulled her into his arms and held her close murmuring quietly in her ear. After several minutes she finally calmed down. She reached for her go bag and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a large wad of tissues.

 

“We were fighting,” she explained. “Though I think that was pretty obvious. It was my fault. I shouldn’t have done it but I did.”

 

“Done what, Penelope?”

 

She blew her nose and swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “I hacked into his email. He was pissed that I had invaded his privacy like that. And I was pissed because he had been corresponding with some floozy, or so I thought. They were talking about taking a trip to Italy together.”

 

“What,” Derek cut in his voice laced with anger.

 

She shook her head and laid her hand on his arm. “I should have known better. The tickets, the tickets Dave was talking about were the ones in the email. A trip for two to Italy; for my birthday. I always wanted to go to Italy.”

 

“So you thought Dave was cheating on you only he was setting up a birthday surprise?” Derek asked.

 

“Apparently so,” she smiled. “I should have trusted him. He was pissed because of the email hacking.”

 

Derek sat back in his seat and shook his head. “You two are going to kill each other.”

 

“Maybe,” she agreed. “Oh Derek! Why did you let him go off by himself?”

 

“The man doesn’t need a babysitter,” Derek told her. “He can take care of himself.”

 

Her face screwed up tight as she fought off another bout of tears. “He’s very fragile,” she said at last.

 

Derek snorted. “David Rossi is anything but fragile.”

 

She was about to respond when a nurse came out. “Ms. Garcia?”

 

“Yes,” Penelope responded. “The doctor said you can sit with Mr. Rossi if you would like.”

 

“Oh yes,” Penelope said as she stood up quickly.

 

“I’ll bring your bag,” Derek announced he grabbed the juice and snacks tossing them into her bag. The nurse looked at him and hesitated. “I promise, I’m just going to carry her bag in then I will leave.”

 

The nurse smiled and nodded. She led them through the locked doors into the ICU. They stopped outside a room with a large glass window and no door. Inside the room Dave was lying on a bed, tubes are running from his body to various machines and IV’s. He is wearing an oxygen mask. Lying in the bed he looks very small. Penelope stared through the glass with Derek standing at her side.

 

“How can you say he is not fragile?” She asked as tears ran down her face.

 

Morgan looked at Dave. “I guess I never looked that hard before,” he confessed.

 

“I did,” she whispered. “That’s why I fell in love with him.”

 

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

 

Dave slowly became aware of the gentle beeping and whirring sounding over his head. His mouth was dry and his head was foggy like he had been drinking for three days in a row and had finally run out of booze. He pried his eyelids open and glanced around the room. ‘Typical hospital room,’ he noted fuzzily.

 

His gaze landed on the woman in the chair. Her head was tilted back and she appeared to be sound asleep. Today she was wearing pink, and on a woman that he'd seen wear every color of the rainbow, he could honestly say that he'd never seen anything like THAT before. She was literally covered in pink from head to toe. It was like someone had dumped a case of pepto bismal over head and she hadn’t cleaned it off.

 

He snorted then groaned as the movement sent a bolt of pain through his side. The action seemed to be enough to rouse Penelope from her nap as she sat up and stretched. She looked over at him and their eyes locked. They stared at one another for a few seconds before she got up and moved closer to him.

 

“Hi,” she said softly as she reached over and brushed his hair back from his forehead. She leaned down and pressed her pale pink lips to his skin.

“Kiss me right,” he croaked. She smiled and leaned down to press her lips to his.

 

“I love you,” she whispered.

 

“I love you too,” he replied. “I need a drink.”

 

She turned and grabbed a water bottle from the sink holding the straw near his mouth so he could drink.

 

“Tell me everything,” he demanded.

 

She put the water bottle back on the sink and settled her hip next to him on the bed. “The bad guy is dead, the people were saved. The team is in Boston and I will never doubt you again.”

 

“Ha,” he snorted again and then groaned as he covered his side with his hand. “Life is going to be very boring if you behave all the time.”

 

She smiled and caressed his face with her fingertips. “Never, my sweet. It will never be boring.”

 

He gave her outfit another look. “What’s with the pink?” he asked.

 

She glanced down at herself. “Everything else I have is either dirty or black,” she explained. “I didn’t want you to think I was in mourning when you woke so I went with the pink.”

 

He smiled. “It’s very… pink.”

 

She laughed. “It is a little much even for me,” she agreed.

 

“Still want to go to Italy with me?” he asked. He reached out and grasped her hand with his.

 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied. “I promise not to bring this outfit.”

 


End file.
